“What happened?” Jon asks.
“He was such an asshole yesterday, and I’ve felt a little detached from him lately, and I’ve been wanting…”
“Wanting what?” Jon questions, stepping closer.
My eyes flicker to Royce who walks past us to grab a couple glasses before making his way to the other end. “Nobody. I mean, nothing.”
Jon whips his head around. “Royce?” His face is so animated.
“No!”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“What?” My face heats up.
“You act like we don’t know you’ve had the hots for him. It’s soooo obvious,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Did y’all hook up?”
“Pft. Yeah, right.”
“But you want to!” I don’t say anything. “Then what are you doing with us? Why aren’t you talking to him? Does he know you broke up with Hunter? You are aware that he likes you, too, right? Don’t tell me you’re that oblivious.”
“I planned on telling him.”
“But now you’re not going to?”
“I don’t know.”
Jon throws his arm up and looks at Daniel before twirling back to me. “Just do it! What do you have to lose?”
“I mean, I just broke up with Hunter.”
“So what? You’re broken up. That’s all that matters.”
“Did you not like Hunter?” I ask, my eyes shifting between him and Daniel.
They exchange a look, and then Jon takes a sip of his drink while Daniel clears his throat.
“It was obvious he didn’t feel comfortable with me and Jon being there and being together.”
My shoulders sag. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, and he’s not the first and won’t be the last to look at us strangely.”
I can’t help but think about how nice Royce is to Jon and Daniel. He doesn’t act differently around them or treat them differently either. I love that. I love that he already loves my friends. Including Midge.
“I’ll talk to Royce later,” I say. “It’s still busy.”
Jon pins me with an expression that lets me know he doesn’t believe me. “Mmhhmm.”
“Let’s go dance,” I say, changing the subject.
It doesn’t take much convincing, and soon, all of us are on the dancefloor having the best time.
Around one o’clock, Jon and Daniel call for a Lyft and head home, while Midge and I scarf down some food to try to soak up some of the alcohol.
I try not to pay attention to Royce and how he’s talking and laughing with all the women who linger around the bar. They lean over it in an effort to push their boobs nearly out of their shirts. Midge catches me rolling my eyes.
“He’s just doing his job.”
“I know.” I eat a fry. “But what if he meets someone tonight and they hookup and then end up together, and I’ll never get my chance?”
Midge makes a face. “I doubt that’s gonna happen.”
“But it could.”
“Then go talk to him. The place is clearing out. Last call will happen soon, and people usually start leaving around then.”
I don’t say anything, just continue to eat my food. When I’m done, I go to the bathroom to make sure I look decent.
Unlike other bars that have bright ass fluorescent lights that are completely unflattering to the drunk person looking in the mirror, Royce’s place has a softer, warmer light over the mirror. However, it doesn’t matter what kind of bulb is shining down on me, I look like a mess.
My curls have lost their bounce, and now my hair lies nearly flat. Luckily, I have a rubber band on my wrist, so I tie up my long, blond locks into a high ponytail.
Thanks to an expensive brand of makeup, I didn’t sweat it all off, but my eyes are red and there’s not much I can do about that. Again, thanks, alcohol. My cheeks hold a permanent blush thanks to the drinks and the warm atmosphere. I re-apply some lip gloss, use the bathroom, and then meet my reflection in the mirror one more time as I wash my hands.
I give myself a mental pep talk then walk back into the main room.
“I got a car coming to pick me up soon,” Midge tells me as I sit down. “I’ve just paid my tab, but figure you’re gonna stick around?”
I glance at Royce who’s talking to a couple of the other workers. I nod. “Yeah.”
“Well, good luck!” she says, giving me a smile. “Text or call me later and let me know how things go. I may be passed out, but I’ll hit you back up when I’m conscious again.”
I laugh. “Okay.”
Five minutes later, Midge is gone, as are most of the other customers. I move to a booth with the remainder of my drink, and wait it out. He’ll have to come talk to me eventually, even if it’s to tell me to leave.
I notice London sitting in a booth by herself. Of course, I notice. I’ve noticed everything she’s done tonight. I can’t keep my eyes off of her. She’s wearing black ripped jeans that look like they were painted onto her body. They accentuate her hips and ass, while showcasing her long and slender legs. She has a white tank top tucked into said pants, really showing off her slim waist.
Since she didn’t leave with her friends, and hasn’t collected her credit card yet, I’m assuming she’s sticking around for a reason. Not to be cocky, but I know that reason is me, I just don’t know why.
The kitchen’s already closed and almost clean, the other employees have started cleaning up as much as they can while a few people still linger, but everyone will be gone soon enough. It’s almost closing time.
When I approach her booth with the receipt for her drinks, her eyes flicker up briefly. She takes the paper and pen, scrawls her name across it and hands it back. I take the receipt to Lennox and then go back to the booth and sit across from her.
I wait for her to say something, and while I wait, I watch as she chews on her bottom lip, her eyes downcast.
She finally lifts her head and meets my gaze. “I broke up with Hunter.”
Her confession shocks the hell out of me. Out of anything she could’ve said, I didn’t expect that.
I try to mask my surprise, and to be honest, my excitement. “Why?”
She gives a lazy shrug and twists her mouth up at the side. “Does it matter?”
Not really, I think, but my curiosity is piqued. They didn’t seem like too much of a happy couple yesterday, but who am I to be the judge of what happy relationships look like? I’m assuming something must’ve happened after we all left.
“Are you okay?”
She smiles. “Yes. I’m okay.”
I smile in return. “That’s good.” My heart does a happy dance, and my cock wants to do a dance of his own.
“Earlier,” she says, jerking her head toward the bar, “when we were talking about drunk sex and stuff?” Embarrassment colors her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to imply that, you know, things were great on my end.”
With a chuckle, I say, “I guess I can see that now. Sorry for acting like a jealous asshole, but I guess I was.”
“Jealous?” she questions, biting on her bottom lip again.
“Fuck yeah!” I answer honestly.
She laughs. “Well, no need to be.”
London takes a miniscule sip of her drink. The ice is mostly melted, so I’m sure it’s pretty diluted. I focus on her as her eyes land on everything but me. She obviously wanted me to know about her relationship status, but is that all? Do I make a move? Do I ask her out? Is it too early?
“So,” I start, unable to find the right words. “What, uh, what happened?”
She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just over.”
The remaining customers left a few minutes ago, and Lennox, Chad, and Luna are busy getting things cleaned up. I wait to see what else London might want to say, but she seems unsure of her next move, so she takes another drink.
After licking her lips, her eyes meet mine. “Royce, you know I like you, right?”
I sit back a little. “I d
o now.”
She tilts her head and purses her lips like she knows I was aware of her feelings, and the truth is, yeah, I figured she was attracted to me. You don’t need to tell someone with words that you like them. You can tell them with your eyes. I’ve seen her watching me. I’ve noticed the lingering gazes. But up until now she’s been in a relationship, so she’s clearly been holding things back a bit. She just hasn’t been able to control the way she looks at me, and I’ve appreciated that.
London begins to squirm, feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed by the admission.
“It’s about time,” I say, making her laugh. “I’ve been asking you to break up with him for months now.” I smile at her and watch as she puts her arms on the table and leans in a little closer.
“Well, now what?” she asks, not taking her eyes off of me.
I lean in, putting my face inches away from hers. “You tell me.”
Her lips lift up in a crooked smile as her hooded eyes move from my eyes down to my mouth and back up again.
I almost lean in to kiss her, but a clattering noise brings me back to my senses.
“One minute,” I say, scooting out of the booth.
I walk behind the bar and tell everyone they can leave and I’ll finish up. Lennox gives me a knowing grin, but happily packs up his stuff to head home. It takes a few minutes for everyone to leave, and London makes her way to the bar to wait.
Lennox is the last one out, and the lock audibly clicks in place from the outside when he turns his key. I shut off all the lights except the ones that light up the bar.
“So,” I say, leaning over the smooth wood of the bar, grinning at London who watches me from her seat on the other side.
She smiles. “So.”
And since I’m finally able to do what I’ve been wanting to do for so long, I lean in and put my hand on the side of her face, letting my thumb graze over the softness of her bottom lip. My fingers curl around the back of her neck and pull her forward, allowing our mouths to meet for what I hope to be the first of many times.
When Royce wraps his fingers around the back of my neck, my breath hitches. Our first kiss is upon us, and while I shouldn’t admit to this, I’ve imagined this happening a few times.
Ever so softly, his lips touch mine. There isn’t tongue right away, instead, Royce kisses my lips a few times, taking his time. He kisses me like he’s been wanting to do it for years, and now that he finally has the chance, he’s going to enjoy every second. There’s no need to rush the kiss. It’s gentle yet eager.
I make a noise in the back of my throat as the kiss intensifies. My lips part, giving his tongue access, and he runs it across my bottom lip before sliding it into my mouth.
My heart thumps viciously in my chest as heat travels through my body. I let out a wanton moan and bring my hands to his face, needing to be closer.
The warmth and wetness of his tongue glides over mine and I realize that I could’ve imagined this kiss a thousand times and never would’ve been close to how it’s playing out now.
Royce doesn’t just kiss me. He makes love to my mouth with his lips and tongue.
I stand and tangle my fingers in his hair, then begin to crawl over the bar. Royce surprises me by gripping my waist and helping me over, placing me on the bar in front of him. I spread my legs, giving him room to stand between them as our kiss deepens.
Both of his hands come to rest on the sides of my face at the same time my hands move to his back, fingers splayed across the fabric of his shirt, bringing him even closer to me. His body is sending off heat waves, and as I scoot to the edge of the bar, I feel his erection straining against the confines of his jeans. A shiver rolls through me, and I moan his name into his mouth.
“Royce.” It’s a plea for more. I put my hands under his shirt, needing to feel the heat of his skin against mine.
He groans and pulls away from the kiss so he can pull his shirt off. I can’t help but splay my fingers across his abs and run them up to his chest, feeling every dip and ridge on his sculpted body.
I lean in and place a few kisses across his lower stomach, then I let my tongue glide across the skin just above the waist of his pants. Royce sucks in a breath, his stomach quivering with each touch.
Unable to control himself any longer, Royce grabs my arms and lays me across the bar, his mouth descending to my neck to leave a trail of kisses from below my ear lobe down to my chest. He moves lower, pulling the shirt from my pants and lifting it up, exposing my own trembling stomach.
His hands move to my breasts, squeezing them through my bra as he kisses around my navel. My stomach rises and drops as I breath heavily, needing more.
“Please,” I say on a sigh, not specifying what I want, but knowing he’ll respond.
His face comes to rest in the crook of my neck, and he nibbles the goose bumped flesh before asking, “What do you want?” His hand skims over my stomach, moving lower.
I suck in air and nod my head, wanting him to continue. His face hovers above mine now as the gentle brush of his fingertips slip past the waist of my jeans.
“What do you want, Sunshine?”
His green eyes bore deeply into mine, and in their reflection, I see lust, hunger, need, and so much more.
“You,” I answer. “I want you.”
Quickly and easily, he snaps open the button and pulls the zipper down, and his hand slides over the purple material of my panties. Torturously slow, his fingers move farther down and I know when he feels how wet I am, because he groans and cusses under his breath.
He presses his fingers down on my clit and I arch my back off the bar with a moan that could rival a pornstar’s.
“Fuck,” he grunts. “Come on.”
He pulls me up and helps me off the bar before grabbing my hand and leading me upstairs to his apartment.
We go straight to his room where he promptly removes everything except the black boxer-briefs that are doing their best at covering his hard-on.
I step out of my heels right before he walks up to me and places his hands on my hips. I think he’s going to kiss me, but he drops to his knees in front of me as he pulls my jeans down.
I use his shoulders to keep balance as I step out of them, and then I pull my shirt over my head and stand before him in just my underwear.
He places a kiss on the front of my panties, right where my clit is, and then uses a finger to pull the material to the side.
My face heats up, but I’m too turned on to be embarrassed. I push his head closer as his tongue licks up some of my arousal.
“Oh, Royce,” I groan, throwing my head back as I tug on his hair.
“Mm,” he moans, continuing to taste me.
I stumble back, but find the wall is there to catch me, so I use it to lean against and then Royce backs up to pull my underwear off.
He tosses them to the side and then grabs one of my legs and puts it over his shoulder so he can devour me against the wall.
“Oh shit,” I say, as the tip of his tongue dips inside of me.
His hands squeeze my thighs and ass as he tastes how wet I am for him. His tongue slides up from my entrance to my clit where he gently licks and sucks on the tiny bundle of nerves.
As stars are exploding behind my closed eyelids, I pull on his hair and let out a steady chant of oh fuck.
Royce brings me to the precipice of bliss and then stops. When I whine at his disappearance, he chuckles.
“I’ve been waiting for this a long time, Sunshine. When you come for the first time, it’s going to be around my cock.” He brings me to his bed. “The second time you come will be on my tongue.” He unhooks my bra before laying me across the navy-blue comforter. “And the third time you come, you’ll be screaming my name as you rake your nails across my chest.”
“Three times, huh?”
“That’s right.”
He pulls his boxer-briefs down and reveals his thick, beautiful cock.
“Okay.”
I brace m
yself over her body with my arms, my nose touching the tip of hers, and then my lips move across her cheek until I find that spot on her neck that makes her skin break out in goosebumps. I’ve already learned that about her, and can’t wait to learn more.
My lips and tongue travel across her collarbone until they meet the perky nipple of her left breast. I suck the small, pink mound into my mouth and London’s back arches again. A sinful moan escapes her throat and makes my cock jump.
As I continue to tease and please her with my hands and mouth, she begins to seek more by writhing underneath me, trying to grind her wet pussy on my leg.
I shift, getting comfortable between her long legs, and put two fingers on her clit.
“Yes, please,” she begs, and the way her voice drips with need almost makes me give in to her.
“Do you want my fingers?”
“Yes,” she answers, her eyes closed as she nods her head and grips the covers.
“Or do you want my cock?” I ask, removing my fingers and getting close enough that the head of my cock brushes against her slick opening.
“Oh God,” she moans, gazing down at where we meet. Her tongue swipes across her bottom lip at the sight, then she throws her head back and squeezes her eyes closed.
I crawl over her, my dick sliding against her arousal before it comes to a rest on her stomach.
“Look at me,” I implore. Her beautiful blue eyes open, and her pink pouty lips part, making me anxious to see them wrapped around my dick later. “Tell me you want my cock.”
Her eyes close briefly, just long enough for her to bite down on her lip and moan while her body squirms underneath me. The way she reacts to my words makes me look forward to how she’ll react to my cock.
When her eyes meet mine again, she takes a breath and opens her mouth. “I want your cock.” She says it like she’s never uttered those words before—quietly and afraid. But I make a promise to myself to have her begging for my cock loudly and with confidence before the night is over.
I get up and grab a condom from my nightstand, rip open the package, and slide the latex over my length. Nestled between her legs, I grab ahold of my cock and use the tip to spread her lips apart, allowing me to see every part of her arousal.
On the Rocks (Kingston Brothers Book 1) Page 10